Festival Frequencies: The Six Festivals That Should Kick Off Your Summer
–Written by Kevin Madert
While music festival scheduling has expanded to encompass just about the entire calendar year, summer is still the true peak of “festival season.” Days are getting longer, the air is getting warmer, and before you know it your jeans and jackets will be relegated to a dark corner of your closet in favor of booty shorts and pasties – er, t-shirts and shorts.
If you’re looking to start the summer off right, you may want to start planning a late May or early June getaway. That’s where we come in; read on for a quick rundown of AltFreq’s can’t-miss early summer festivals.
Dark Star Jubilee
When: May 23-25
Where: Thornville, OH
Who: Three nights of Dark Star Orchestra, Los Lobos, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Keller & The Keels, Jeff Austin Band, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Melvin Seals & JGB (Full Lineup)
Why: For a fourth year, virtuoso Grateful Dead interpreters Dark Star Orchestra bring the Jubilee to Ohio’s Legend Valley. I often speak in hyperbole, but I am not messing around when I say this is the best festival I’ve ever been to. It’s small – last year attendance topped out around 5,000, and from the campsites to the front of the stage it never felt cramped or crowded. It’s full of kind people – I hardly saw a frown or heard an angry voice all weekend. There’s fantastic music – Dark Star curates the festival themselves, and they know how to pick ’em. It’s an intimate, affordable, family-friendly affair that I could laud for days and can’t recommend enough. I only have one question: won’t you meet me at the Jubilee?
Links: Tickets | Official festival website | DSO Facebook page
Movement
When: May 23-25
Where: Detroit, MI
Who: Disclosure (DJ), Richie Hawtin, Dog Blood, Loco Dice, Brodinksi, Dubfire, GRiZ, Kölsch, DJ Snoopadelic (Full Lineup)
Why: Are you the one person in your friend group who doesn’t have any Krewella or Tiësto on your iPod? Do you mutter quiet curses to yourself when your friends implore you to leave the techno stage an hour early so you can “get a good spot for Flosstradamus?” Is half the music you listen to only available on Swedish torrent sites and relatively unknown by the general populous? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your Memorial Day planning should begin and end with Movement, a house-centric festival that’s existed in various forms for over a decade. Held in the heart of Detroit, the focus here isn’t on hands-in-the-air antics or front-row champagne showers, but *gasp* the music! This novel approach may not endear the festival to all your main stage acquaintances, but that’s fine; they haven’t a clue what they’re missing anyway.
Links: Tickets | Official festival website | Movement Facebook page
Dreamscape Festival
When: May 8-10
Where: Darlington, MD
Who: Lucky Date, Metrik, Must Die!, Michal Menert, Manic Focus, The Funk Hunters, Kicks n Licks, Buku, Space Jesus (Full Lineup)
Why: Anyone even remotely familiar with Badass Raves and their lengthy history in the DMV could answer this one for you. The company puts on event after event featuring quality music, affordable tickets, locally sourced multimedia experiences, and a familial atmosphere that makes every show just as much about the people you’re with as the artists you’re there to see. Dreamscape began as one such party a few years ago, quickly evolving into a fan favorite and a regional staple. Held for the first year at the secluded Camp Ramblewood – the same location as Nightmare Festival, another Badass brainchild – Dreamscape is a fantastic early-season offering at an unbeatable price ($115 at last check).
Links: Tickets | Official festival website | Badass Raves Facebook page
Infrasound Music Festival
When: May 28-31
Where: Black River Falls, WI
Who: Tipper (2 sets), The Opiuo Band, Benga (2 sets), Ott, Ozric Tentacles, Thriftworks, Truth, Freddy Todd, Bukez Finezt (Full Lineup)
Why: Have you seen the lineup? Let me repeat: haveyouseenthefuckinglineup? When ann0unced a while back I was flabbergasted. Two sets of Tipper alone was enough to have me adding tickets to my cart. Then I saw down-under glitch-funker Opiuo’s full live band will be performing, and dubstep legend Benga will spin a pair of sets. As my eyes continued to scan the poster, names kept popping out. Ott. Truth. Mr Bill. Bukez Finezt. Bogtrotter. It’s a dubstepper’s wet dream and a glitch-hop aficionado’s fantasy, all rolled into a Tipper tortilla, covered with the finest Wisconsin cheeses, and served up as one of the fattest burritos available this festival season.
Links: Tickets | Official festival website | Infrasound Facebook page
Counterpoint Music Festival
When: May 22-24
Where: Kingston Downs, GA
Who: Widespread Panic, Kygo, Zeds Dead, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Umphrey’s McGee, Tipper, Minnesota, Emancipator Ensemble, Goldfish (Full Lineup)
Why: For a third year Counterpoint is returning to the rolling hills just outside Atlanta it calls home. Boasting arguably its best lineup yet (that sound you hear is the clink of hat pins as thousands of Bassnectar fans shake their heads in disagreement) the festival is bringing a diverse array of artists while still leaning decidedly towards the electronic end of the spectrum. With Hudson Project taking the year off – reports are that zoning laws won’t allow a festival to be held on the grounds while last year’s attendees are still stuck in the mud – and with the continuing hiatus of Camp Bisco all but confirmed, MCP looks to have thrown all it has at Counterpoint 2015. From our perspective it’s a move that should pay big dividends to us all.
Links: Tickets | Official festival website | Counterpoint Facebook page
Mysteryland USA
When: May 22-25
Where: Bethel Woods, NY
Who: Richie Hawtin, A-Trak, Empire Of The Sun, Porter Robinson (Live), Netsky, Madeon, Skream, Maya Jane Coles, Gramatik (Full Lineup)
Why: For a second year ID&T (Tomorrowland, Tomorrowworld, Sensation White) is hosting Mysteryland USA, bringing a bevy of beatsmiths and thousands of revelers to the original Woodstock ’69 grounds over Memorial Day weekend. There’s a little something for everyone among the 90+ acts. You can get funky with Griz and Gramatik, shake that which your mother gave you at Diplo and Dillon Francis, nod your head thoughtfully to the minimal sounds of Richie Hawtin and Maya Jane Coles, or try really hard to look like you don’t care at Porter Robinson and Empire of the Sun. ID&T doesn’t skimp on the ambiance either (as they damn well shouldn’t at these prices) so you can expect an immersive experience from the moment you put your car in park and forget about it until the 25th. Close enough to major cities to make travel a breeze but far enough removed to allow for a solitary weekend in those beautiful Bethel Woods, Mysteryland USA is poised to have a mighty fine sophomore year.
Links: Tickets | Official festival website| Mysteryland Facebook page